Regime change in Tunisia set off a series of revolutions across the Middle East in 2011. The achievements of these protest movements have largely been reversed elsewhere, but parliamentary elections held in Tunisia over the weekend could perpetuate the Arab Spring’s only success story.
When Muhammad Bouazizi set himself alight in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid in December 2010, he ignited the pent-up frustration of a population suffering from an ailing economy and a repressive, corrupt regime. Mr Bouazizi’s desperate act had been in response to repeated harassment by the police, which had confiscated the street vendor’s cart and wares, once again depriving him of his humble means of making a living. (CONTINUED - 1568 WORDS)
